Time and the Final Frontier
by Crimson Seale
Summary: I have been traveling with the Tenth Doctor for a while now. He picks me up at random times and whisks me away to other worlds. But then we stumble into a mess in a universe where J.J. Abrams' Star Trek is reality. I am separated from the Doctor and faced with tough decisions and stressful situations. (Self-insertion fic, no hate please. If you like it, please review.)
1. At the Start

The TARDIS was on its way through the vortex again, carrying the Doctor and  
me inside. It always felt strange and yet wonderful when we went traveling through the whirl of space and time. And I was in no hurry to get home.

"What if I gave you a nickname?" The Doctor was saying.

I laughed. "You can try, though I doubt that you could come up with something very good."

He thought for a moment, tapping his chin as he looked up into the central column. "Well, you're a blonde, you're short..."

"Thanks a lot!" I said jokingly.

He grinned, not looking away from the column. I could see the gears turning in his head like clockwork, which is appropriate since he is a Time Lord.

"I've got it!" he shouted, throwing his hand in the air. "Sputnik. It means 'fellow traveler' or 'companion' in Russian, not to mention the historical significance."

I turned the name over in my mind. It sounded nice. Hesitatingly, I whispered it into the air. It felt wonderful on my tongue. He smiled at the look on my face.

"You like it?"

I nodded, trying desperately to hide my elation at being nicknamed by the Doctor.

The TARDIS came to a halt with a thud. We checked the scanner to be sure we were where we needed to be.

"That can't be right," said the Doctor. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. We both squinted at the screen.

"Doesn't that mean we're..." I said, pointing to a particular symbol on the screen.

"Yeah..."

I could tell he was confused, and he liked it. I got the feeling that he would be dragging me by the hand, out the door and into the world waiting outside. So I took initiative this time.

"Come along, Doctor," I shouted gleefully as I pulled him by the hand down the ramp and out the door. He took hold of his coat along the way and locked the door behind us. What we found waiting was more confusing than any place we had been to yet.

We were in a building, sometime in the future by the look of it. The TARDIS was parked in the corner of a conference room, tucked behind a large table. A window to our right revealed a futuristic looking city, one that looked strangely familiar...

Suddenly it hit me. The reading on the scanner just moments earlier. It made sense now. We were in another parallel universe. We were living fiction again. I ran to the table and looked at the screens placed in front of each seat. They displayed the Star Fleet insignia.

_Star Trek._

"What was that?" the Doctor asked, coming up beside me.

Had I said that out loud? I looked over at him. He now had his coat on and as he leaned over me, I caught a glimpse of the sonic screwdriver safe in his pocket. A smile crossed my face. Everything about the Doctor made me happy.

"Star Trek," I said again. "We're in another fictional universe. This one belongs to Star Trek. The revamp movies, if I am correct." I looked over my shoulder to the city outside. It looked like London from the J.J. Abrams rendition, Star Trek: Into Darkness. I had just seen that movie a few days before leaving with the Doctor last time. How long ago was that? A week, maybe more. I wasn't sure.

"Fascinating…" the Doctor breathed, looking at the screen. I laughed. He wasn't making a reference, but it still fit perfectly.

Everything was starting to kick in. The excitement of looming adventure, the amazing things I anticipated seeing, the things I was ready to do. It was time to begin. I ran to the door and the automatic sensors opened the hatch to admit the Doctor and me through.

We were in a hallway, and we were alone. There was no one there. A few voices could be heard at one end of the hall. Otherwise, the place was empty.

"Listen Sputnik, I don't think these guys will take kindly to strangers being in their headquarters, so we had best disguise ourselves," the Doctor whispered.

I nodded. "That looks like a closet there. Let's see if there are any spare uniforms."

We tiptoed to the particular door. It was locked, of course. But with a short sonic session, it slid open as we slipped inside. Sure enough, at least two of each color uniform was hanging at the far wall. After a long, internal debate, I took a red one, since my preferred area had always been linguistics should I ever get into Star Fleet. I went behind a shelf and changed into it. Luckily, the dress was a little longer on me than I remembered it being on the girls from the revamp movies, ending just above my kneecap. There were some spare boots as well and I pulled a pair of those on. I bundled up my clothes and stepped out from behind the shelf. The doctor wore a blue uniform, just like Spock's, minus the commander gold rings on the sleeves.

"Let's put these in the TARDIS before continuing," he suggested, nodding to our bundles of clothing. We tiptoed back to the conference room and I tossed my clothes just inside. The Doctor took the sonic from his coat pocket and tucked it into his belt before laying the coat aside and locking the TARDIS doors again. And then we went exploring.

Down the hall, we found a corridor that shot off to the right. The voices were louder here, so we made our way down the corridor, slowly and carefully. That's when the Doctor stopped me with a hand on my arm.

"We shouldn't be creeping along here. If we are to fit in, we should walk like we're supposed to be here."

I nodded, straightened, and continued on. We passed a few windows until we found the source of the voices. A jumble of people was filing down the perpendicular hall, a line on either side of the wide space.

"Might as well," the Doctor shrugged.

We slipped in line and prepared to wait a while. I looked around, up at the ceiling, down at the floor. The walls in this hall were a dark grey instead of white like the other. Up ahead, the walls seemed to get even darker.

Before I knew it, we were at the end. Two officers, one to each line, stood at the threshold of a large room. They were giving each person a tablet after asking a few questions. Suddenly, it was my turn.

"State your name, rank, and department," the officer said, not looking up from his work on the podium he stood behind.

_What?_ I thought. _What am I supposed to say?_

I came up with the best answer I could.

"Sputnik…Ensign…Linguistics," I said haltingly.

The officer tapped the tablet for a moment, then handed it over to me. "You are assigned to the U.S.S. Enterprise. Proceed to the left." He waved behind him. I could now see that the room was a hangar with multiple shuttles parked along the walls.

I followed the officer's command, trying to wait for the Doctor, but when he got his orders, he began walking to the right of the hanger. I gave him a worried look and he waved me on. With great effort, I saw him mouth the words, "Just go. We'll meet up later."

I had a hard time believing that. Still, I continued to the third shuttle in a long line of them. An officer checked my orders and gestured for me to go inside. I heard someone say something about "first wave", so I guessed that we were going up first. There were only three seats left open in this one. I took the one tucked in the corner and buckled in. Two more people entered, took the remaining seats, and then we were being sent out into space.

There was a window near my seat and I watched the stars go by. The darkness, vastness, and beauty of space captivated my mind. Then I saw the docking port and the ships arranged around it. There it was, the Enterprise. It looked wonderfully white against the darkness, like a shining pearl in a black sea.

In a few moments, the shuttle landed in a hangar on the ship. We were ushered out and made to stand in a poor formation as the other two shuttles were emptied of their passengers. After everyone was lined up correctly, a superior looking officer came out of the passageway in front of us, holding a tablet larger than the one in my hand. He went down the lines, sending each individual onward with a wave of his hand. A lifetime passed and he stopped in front of me.

"Sputnik?" he asked.

I looked him over. Blue shirt, black hair, pointy ears, and those unmistakable eyebrows. This was Spock.

The realization had incapacitated me for the moment and I stood, open mouthed, staring up at him.

"Sputnik?" he repeated. "Is that your name?"

I blinked. "Y-yes…sir. Kristen Sputnik."

He took a moment to look me over. He settled his eyes on my face and I could feel my cheeks burning. "Interesting name. There are two different cultures and languages in that name."

"I'm a diverse kinda gal," I replied with a nervous laugh. _What was that? Stupid, stupid, stupid._

With a shake of his head, he looked down at the tablet in his hands. "It says here you are a linguist. What sort of linguistics do you specialize in?"

Another silence ensued as I grappled for an answer to give. "I'm…fluent in French and English, sir. And I know small amounts of other Earth languages."

"Any Xenolinguistics?"

"Not really, sir."

He sighed, tucking the tablet under clasped hands at his belt. "Technically, you are not qualified to be on the Enterprise. However, another linguist might benefit us on this mission." He took my tablet from me, placing his under his arm. "I am assigning you to the bridge," he said as he typed. "You will be working with Lieutenant Uhura. Proceed forward and report to the bridge."

He held the tablet out to me, but I couldn't take hold of it just then.

Lieutenant Uhura. The bridge. I'm going to be working with the helm crew from Star Trek. How…?

Spock was getting impatient. There were many others waiting to be assigned and there was no time to lose. I took the device from him and a step toward the corridor. I watched him move on to the next new recruit for a moment, then started for the bridge.

Of course, I got lost. I had no clue how to get to where I needed to go. I think I asked for directions three times at least, but I finally made it to the lift that would take me up to the bridge. My heart was pounding as each floor passed by with a bright light. My feet became like lead when the lift stopped. And then the door opened.

_The bridge._


	2. The Bridge

White walls and futuristic control panels met my eyes, which were now slightly gleaming with tears of joy. I wished that other Trekkies could be there with me, seeing this sight, breathing this air, living this life. I wiped my eye with a short sniffle as one of the helmsmen stood and made his way toward me.

"Kehn I hyelp you?" he said.

Suddenly, I was back on the ship, not soaring above the clouds back home. His accent, those curls, and the yellow uniform. I checked his sleeves for his rank and found nothing there. So he was an ensign, but which one? Had it really been so long since I had been home that I was forgetting these faces? I couldn't place him. He was a mystery to me.

"Hyello?" said the ensign, waving a hand in front of my face. "Are you lost?"

I shook the troubling thoughts from my mind. "Well, if this is the bridge, then I'm where I need to be," I said smiling at him.

He chuckled, a grin crossing his face. "Zis is ze bridge. My name is Chekov." He placed a hand to his chest, indicating himself, then nodded to me. "And you are?"

I realized I had the tablet in my right hand, so I switched it to the left and held out my hand for him to shake. "Kristen M-Sputnik." _Almost blew it..._

After shaking my hand, he looked to the tablet at my side. "May I see your orders? Perhaps I kehn hyelp you find vhere you belong."

I gave him the device and he looked it over. I saw his eyes flit back to me a few times as he tapped, and with each flit, he seemed to shrink back a little more, his face reddening. I was worried he had found me out, that I would be on my way back to Earth without the Doctor, without any way of getting home. Eventually, he straightened himself and handed my orders back to me.

"You are assigned to vork vith Lieutenant Uhura. She is right over zere," he said, gesturing behind him. "Report to her first, then I vill take you to ze Keptin."

I glanced over to where he had pointed. There she was, Lieutenant Uhura. Already, my heart was pounding at the thought of meeting one of my heroes. Not only was she a badass, but she also shared my love and talent for languages, making her double the role model I searched for. I swallowed hard with a nod to Chekov, then started the agonizing journey to Lieutenant Uhura's station.

She was talking to someone on the communicator as I approached. It sounded serious.

"Mister Scott, I don't know what to tell you. Up here it shows that all your comm devices are working just fine." She paused, listening to the person on the other end of the line. "...let me try rebooting the system."

I watched her flip switches and press buttons for a while. After a moment, I realized I was still too far away for her to notice me. So, clutching the tablet to my chest, I took a few more steps until I was next to her seat. She held up a finger, indicating for me to wait.

"There," she said into her ear piece. "The system is rebooting. Standby." Then, she turned to me with a smile. "Can I help you?"

I held out the device in my hands. "I'm supposed to work with you."

She took a look at my orders and nodded. "Linguistics...that would be me." When she looked up, her face looked to be a bit angry. "Hold on just one second."

A flurry of flips and switches ensued as she tried to reach someone. When they wouldn't answer, she turned back to me.

"Did someone bring you up here?"

I shook my head. "No, Miss. But that ensign over there," I pointed to Chekov, "he told me to report to you, then he would take me to see the Captain."

She nodded for a moment, thinking about how to go about this. "Have Mister Chekov take you to the Captain. I need to speak with Commander Spock concerning your orders."

My heart sank. It seemed she was going to try to get rid of me. Of course, I couldn't really blame her. What use could I be? I only knew two Earth languages well enough to converse in, and we were heading out into space.

She walked with me back to Chekov and told him she needed to speak with Spock, that he should take me to see Captain Kirk for now. The turbolift opened and the three of us stepped inside. I was between the two of them. Uhura still seemed pretty angry, and Chekov...I'm not at all sure what was going on with him. He kept scratching his ear, the one closest to me. Every time I looked over at him, his face reddened. I still wondered if he had found something wrong with my orders.

We stopped and Lt. Uhura left, leaving something of a goodbye in her wake. Then the turbolift resumed descending.

Uhura made her way to the hangar where Spock was still assigning new recruits to their stations. She walked up to him, practically stomping along the floor. Once at his side, she stopped and waited for him to finish with the current cadet.

"Sir, a word," was all she said.

Spock turned to her, placing his hands behind his back. "Lieutenant Uhura, is something wrong?"

She stepped closer and lowered her voice. "'Is something wrong?' You should know damn well that something is wrong. What were you thinking putting that ensign with me? She'll only be in the way."

He shifted uneasily. She frightened him sometimes, and fear was an emotional response, making it all the more unnerving for him. "Lieutenant, if you will hear me out, I have sound reasoning for my actions."

A sigh escaped her as she crossed her arms. "What?"

"I know that she does not qualify as a Star Fleet linguist. However, I also know that you are overworked in your duties and you voice your concerns regularly."

"You can just say I complain a lot, Spock."

He nodded. "Alright. You complain. Therefore, I thought that she might be of assistance in the management of the communications system. I shall evaluate her skill level to determine if she is capable. If she is, I will request that you mentor her in learning the system."

Uhura sighed and let her eyes drop to her shoes. "Fine." She looked up at him again, fire in her eyes. "But if she takes three days to learn the panel, I'm done. I don't have time to fool with an ensign."

Spock nodded. "I agree."

After a moment, Uhura stood straight again, her arms at her sides. "Thank you for clarifying, sir. See you on the bridge."


	3. Captain's Quarters

The turbolift stopped and Chekov and I stepped onto the new floor.

"Zis vay," he said, leading me down the corridor to the right.

We made our way to a door on the left just a few paces from where we started. The door opened and Chekov motioned for me to go in ahead of him. When I stepped through the entryway, I saw a conference room, very much like the one the TARDIS now sat in back on Earth. But there was no one there.

"Vell...zis is embarrassing," Chekov breathed. "Vhere is ze Keptin?"

I shrugged. I had thought he would be on the bridge already, but apparently not.

"Come wiss me," the Ensign instructed as he exited the room.

He led me through a few corridors, down a few floors in a different turbolift, and stopped at a door labeled "Captain's Quarters". He pressed a button on the control panel.

"Keptin, Ensins Chekov and Sputnik to see you, sir." He stepped back and looked at me. "I don't know vhat he is doing. He is supposed to be in ze ozer room, vaiting to prep ze new bridge crew."

After a moment, Chekov tried to buzz in again, but there was no answer. With a sigh of frustration, he pressed the open button and walked in. I followed slowly, holding the tablet in front of me for protection or...something.

As we entered the room, the lights came on and we found the most disturbing sight. Captain Kirk had a woman in bed, but she wasn't human. I still have no idea what species she was. Kirk probably doesn't remember either.

They stopped what they were doing and looked up at us. Both of them seemed aghast at our presence.

"I swear I locked that door," Kirk told the girl.

I looked over at Chekov to see his mouth and eyes wide in shock. I think my mouth was hanging open too. Then, Chekov took both hands and covered his eyes.

"So sorry, Keptin," he was saying. "Ve vill leave now. Pleese resume and meet us in ze conference room vhen you are finished."

I watched him turn to leave, eyes still covered. He ran into a wall with a thud and what I guess was a curse in Russian. I struggled to keep from giggling at the absurdity of it all. Taking one last glance at the happy couple, I turned my own scarred eyes away to help Chekov find the door.

Once outside, I made sure the door got closed while Chekov spun around in a daze with his hands still covering his face. He bumped into a few people who looked at him like he was crazy as he muttered endless apologies. Finally, it ceased to be funny and I took him by the arm to sit him down against the wall.

"You know we're outside the room, right?" I asked as I lowered us both to the floor. "You can open your eyes now."

Slowly, he let his hands fall to his sides. He pulled his legs in to sit cross-legged, staring at the floor just in front of his knees.

"Are you okay?"

He seemed to come out of whatever kind of trance he was in at the question. Wide eyes glanced over at me, then quickly looked away. His face was the darkest shade of red, almost that of my uniform. I attributed it to the recent events.

"I'm fine," he said simply.

I touched his arm, giving it a small pat before letting my hand rest there. "Are you sure? You acted like that was your first time seeing people...you know."

"...it vas."

I was a bit taken back. How had he never seen people doing it before? Was he twelve?

"H-how old are you?"

At this he seemed to perk back up. He turned to me, a proud smile on his face. "Nineteen."

I let a short laugh escape my throat. "I'm eighteen. We're probably the youngest people on this ship."

"Ve are! I vas ze youngest. I know zat for sure. But now you are here and zat makes YOU ze youngest!"

His renewed enthusiasm was rubbing off on me. I smiled and started to stand, but he hopped up before I could even start the ascent and offered me a hand.

"Thanks," I said once I was on my feet.

"You're velcome," was the reply.

I couldn't help but notice his lingering gaze. It seemed to be getting longer every time he laid eyes on me. It was a little bit unnerving. I didn't know what was going on. Maybe it was a Russian thing...

"Lyet's go back to ze conference room to vait for ze Keptin," he suggested.

I nodded and followed him through the myriad of halls again. It was a good thing he was leading. By the second turn, I had no idea where I was. The turbolift ride seemed shorter this time, and the room was still empty by the time we got there, so we sat at the table in awkward silence while Captain Kirk "finished".

Finally, the door opened and the Captain, now fully clothed, stepped in and took a seat at the head of the table. Neither Chekov nor I could look at him with a straight face. I just couldn't get the picture of him naked out of my head. This was probably going to make working on the bridge difficult.

"So Chekov, what did you need?" Kirk said as he sat down.

Chekov sat up straight and cleared his throat. "Zis Ensin vas assigned to ze bridge, so as is regulation, I vas bringing her to report to you, sir."

Kirk turned to me, a careless smile on his face. "And you are...?"

"Sputnik. Ensign Sputnik, Kristen Marie," I supplied for him.

"Sputnik," he repeated. "So you're Russian, too?"

I shook my head. "No, sir. It's just a name." I was really starting to regret choosing the Doctor's nickname as my alias. It seemed to cause more problems than it was worth.

Kirk nodded at my reply. "So let me see your orders."

I handed him the tablet that I _still_ had in my hands. I was glad to be rid of it for a moment.

"It says here that you know English and French." He looked up at me. "What good is that gonna do us going out into space?"

I shrugged. "Commander Spock said he thought I could be of assistance."

He turned to the tablet again. "He has ordered a comprehension test for you, administered by himself." He looked back to me. "Good luck with _that_."

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, he gave me back the device.

"Report back to me after Mister Spock has administered the test." And with that he got up and left.

I looked at Chekov across the table. "Is this always how organized this ship is?"

He sat back in his chair, breathing a deep sigh into the air. "You vould sink no, but...yes."

The despair on his face was quite amusing and I couldn't stop myself from laughing. He pulled his head up from resting on the chair to look at me. I saw his eyes light up at the sight of me giggling and, before I knew it, we were both crying from laughing so hard. I guess we needed the relief after all that tension.

This was going to be an interesting adventure.


	4. The Impossible Test

"Ready to go, Mister Scott?"

_"She's purrin' like a kitten, Cap'n."_

"Mister Sulu, punch it."

"Aye, Captain."

I stood by the Captain's chair watching the crew prepare to leave. It was so exciting. A wonderful feeling welled up in my chest with each passing second and pretty soon, I was on the brink of tears again.

Sulu pushed the lever forward and I watched as the stars bent into straight lines, then flew by us. We were in warp, and it felt amazing.

"Good job taking off, guys," Kirk complimented his crew.

Everyone let out a whoop in appreciation. I felt a little strange just standing there, so I followed the example of the rest of the bridge crew.

After everyone settled back down, Spock stood from his seat and approached the Captain's chair.

"Sir, if I may be excused, I am to take Ensign Sputnik, here, for a comprehension test."

Kirk nodded. "Yeah, yeah I know. Go easy on her Spock. I know how impossible your tests can be."

Spock raised an eyebrow at Kirk. "If you are referring to the Kobiashi Maru incident, then I must re-"

"Just shut up and go do the test already. Dismissed."

Spock bowed slightly and looked at me. I felt like his eyes could see right through me, like he knew that I wasn't really a student of Star Fleet Academy. And I was scared to my very core.

The chief science officer stepped around the chair and gestured for me to follow him to the turbolift. The door opened and another man stepped out. He wore a blue shirt like Spock's and he was holding another tablet.

"I'm looking for Kristen Sputnik!" he called into the room, reading the name.

I raised a hand. "That's...me."

He looked me over. "I need to you to come with me."

Motioning for me to follow, he stepped back into the turbolift. I looked up at Spock, who simply shook his head. I think I heard him say something, but I couldn't make it out.

"Doctor McCoy, Miss Sputnik is under my command at the moment," he said aloud. "She cannot be released to you for any reason until I am finished examining her."

"Funny you say that," McCoy said through gritted teeth, taking a menacing step toward Spock. "I need to do just that. She has no record of a medical examination and, unless you would like to risk infection and disease for the entire crew, I need to conduct one immediately."

Spock looked down at me. "Is this true? You have had no medical examination?"

I shrugged. "Not here, no."

He stood silent for a moment. I could tell he was turning over the impossibility of it in his mind. Of course, if I were a real member of Star Fleet, I would have a medical record. My lie was unraveling with every passing moment.

"Proceed, Doctor," Spock finally said.

McCoy nodded. "Thanks." He motioned toward the turbolift again and I stepped in with him. He pressed a button and we were on our way to the Med Bay.

"I am curious, though," the doctor said, startling me from the silence. "How did you get on board without an exam?"

I shrugged again. _Great. More improvising._ "Well we got called in hastily, so I guess it just didn't get processed. I am rather new to Star Fleet, so I haven't had an exam yet. Sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's the med team at the Academy who's to blame. Those incompetent idiots..."

The turbolift opened to reveal the med bay. There were screens above each station. I saw a few people laying on the exam tables at the right side of the room. The screens showed a schematic of their vitals. It was actually really cool.

McCoy led me to an exam table away from those already being looked at. I hopped up while he got the scanner. After a moment of digging around, he took the scanner and held it above me, moving it down every inch of my body to get a full reading.

"I'm Doctor McCoy, if you haven't already guessed. You can call me Bones. I'll be your physician, so any aches and pains, just let me know."

I nodded, trying to hold as still as possible. "Thanks."

While he scanned me, I noticed that his eyebrows were furrowed together and his mouth was down turned in what seemed to be a permanent frown. Despite his rough exterior, I got the feeling he was soft as a stuffed bear underneath. Instantly, I liked him. He seemed the kind of man you could trust, which was good considering he was a doctor.

A few more moments passed and the scanner had finished reading. Bones put it on the table and picked up a swab.

"Open."

He took a sample of my saliva and put it into a little tube on the side of the scanner. A green light started blinking.

"Right. You're fit as a fiddle."

He set the scanner aside again and helped me down from the table. I straightened my uniform and started to leave. Then I remembered I would probably get lost on my way back and turned around.

"Could you..." I swallowed hard. "Could you tell me how to get back to the bridge?"

Bones smiled at me, an angry looking smile. "In the lift, press the button that says 'bridge'. You should be there in a few seconds."

"Thanks," I said with a short wave.

I got inside and looked at the panel with all the millions of buttons. I found the one labeled 'bridge' and pressed it, waiting for the ascent to commence. A few seconds passed and the turbolift stopped. I stepped out onto the bridge again.

"Mister Spock, I'm ready for the test."

Spock rose from his station and came to my side, looking back at Kirk. "May I be dismissed, Captain?"

"Yeah, whatever..."

Spock turned back to me. "Let us proceed."

As we moved to enter through the door, I heard a voice call after us.

"Good luck!"

When I turned to look, I saw Chekov giving me thumbs up and the goofiest smile. I waved in response. Nerves were catching up with me, so smiling or saying thank you was out of the question.

Another awkward ride in the turbolift.

Spock was so much taller than me. His very presence was unnerving. I chanced a look at him. His gaze stayed fixed straight ahead, so I shifted my weight to my left foot to get a better look at him. His profile was very appealing. He had that emotionless, professional look on his face, and not one hair on his head was out of place. That bothered me to pieces. I just wanted to reach up and gently pet his hair, and then eventually ruffle it the way I sometimes did the Doctor's.

Where was the Doctor, anyway? He had said we would meet up. But we were in warp now and, unless he had gotten on the ship before we left, I was already lightyears away from him. Literally.

The door opened and Spock stepped out in front of me. I followed him to a room empty of everything except what I supposed was a simulation panel.

"Sit, please."

The command was so short and unfeeling that it took me by surprise. I sat down in the chair and ran my fingers along the edge of the panel as Spock took a seat beside me.

"Do you know anything about how to use a communications panel?" he asked, looking at me.

I shook my head. His eyes were staring through me again. I could feel my pulse begin to quicken.

"Well then, I will teach you. This is the channel equalizer. It helps you hone in on certain frequencies. And this is the radio stabilizer. You will need to know how to use this one most of all. Put your hand here..." he lifted my hand from the edge of the panel and set it on the screen that showed different levels of frequency. "It responds to touch. It's a recent addition to the communications panel, so if you have used one before, you'll have to relearn this instrument."

He began teaching me the entire panel, his hands guiding mine. The whole time, I felt my face burning at his touch. At one point, he stood behind me, both hands on mine, to help me get the feel of amplifying frequencies using the stabilizer and return pull. He was so close to me and his face was next to mine as he whispered hints into my ear. When he stepped away after I had mastered the concept, I felt such a low. I wasn't sure what was happening to me.

"What is this?" he was asking.

I looked to where he pointed. "The transvessel intercom."

"Good. And this one?"

"Voice level."

He sat back in his chair. "Miss Sputnik, you have just passed the test. I'll have Engineering install another chair at the comm station on the bridge."

He stood and helped me to my feet. He then held out a hand for me to shake.

"Congratulations," he said with a smile, at least a small one.

"Thank you, sir," I replied.

I could feel my hand trembling in his grasp. My face felt so hot I thought I was sweating. And in that moment, I realized that I was falling in love with Spock.


	5. A New Chair

I had stopped to go to the bathroom for a moment, so I was late getting to the bridge. I had stayed a moment, looking at my reflection and asking myself over and over what I was thinking falling for a superior officer when I wasn't even a member of Star Fleet and pretending to be and...

I quieted my mind before crossing the threshold onto the bridge. Kirk was in his chair, but he was swiveled around to watch the proceedings at the comm station behind him. I saw him snicker into a closed fist. Spock was also watching from safe distance. In fact the whole crew was watching the man in the red shirt.

"Just what I needed, a stupid chair to talk back to meh," the man was saying. He turned to Kirk. "You just _had_ to have another chair up here, didn't yeh? It's not like you don't 'ave enough alreadeh! And of course all my boys are preoccupied, so I, chief of bloody engineering, have to come all the way up here and install it for yeh."

He turned back to the task in front of him. After he bumped his head on the seat and muttered something under his breath, he finished bolting down the new chair in what I hoped was a secure fashion.

"Right. That oughtta do it Cap'n. So who wants to try it out?"

He turned a raised brow panoramically around the room, daring each set of eyes to try his new chair. After a moment, I strode forward and plopped into the seat, testing the swivel feature and the reach of my arms.

"Feels good," I said, looking up at the "chief of bloody engineering".

"Good," he replied, breathless. "Hope it works out for yeh." His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Sorreh, I don't think we've met."

I stood and extended a hand for him to shake, which he took without looking away from my face. "I'm the new communications officer," I informed him. "Kristen Sputnik is the name."

"Sputnik," he repeated. "So you're like Chekov over there?"

I followed the direction of his gesture to find said Ensign watching us intently. Then again, everyone was watching us intently.

"No," I finally answered, looking back to the man still holding my hand. "I'm American. It's just a _name_."

I hoped no one would catch the disdain in my voice. That alias was really starting to get on my nerves.

"Oh, well I'm Scotty, chief of engineering."

Scotty started shaking my hand so violently I thought my wrist was going to pop out of joint.

"Nice to meet you," I said, pulling my hand away. "Thanks for the chair."

He looked down at the mess of tools still lying on the floor. "Yeah, no problem. Now, if you will excuse meh, I have a warp core to care for."

After placing the tools into his toolbox, Scotty left the bridge, muttering curses under his breath as he went. I couldn't stop a grin from shining through the gloom of my newest self discovery. Scotty was a character, a character I liked. I hoped I would see both him and Bones again sometime.

It was actually really strange for me. I knew these characters. I knew them well. But meeting them here was like meeting them for the first time. There was something quite endearing about it. I was falling in love with these characters all over again, some more than others..._one_ more than the others.

I turned back to the chair and sat down, feeling the panel in front of me. My mind buzzed with the names and functions of each device before me. I heard something behind me and whipped my head around to look. Kirk had jumped over to my seat and was watching me.

"Can I help you, sir?"

"No, just..." he glanced over at Spock, then turned back to me, lowering his voice. "How did that test go?"

He looked at me expectantly. I think he wanted me to say that it was impossibly difficult so he could report the science officer. But I answered truthfully.

"It was fine. He taught me the panel, quizzed me afterward, and I passed."

Kirk nodded, patting my shoulder. "Sure. We can go with that."

I shook my head and smiled at him as he stood and began walking to the door. I watched him leave and caught a glimpse of Spock busy at his station. Quickly, I averted my eyes before my cheeks started burning again.

"Wait, Keptin! Sulu, take ze conn."

I swiveled around to see Chekov jump out of his chair and bounce-because it really did look like bouncing-across the room to the door, following after Kirk. Again I snickered at this crew and their strangeness. And now, I was one of them.

"Keptin Kirk, Keptin Kirk, Kep-"

"What is it, Mister Chekov?"

Kirk stopped to let the ensign catch up with him.

"I haff a question for you, Keptin."

Kirk turned on his heel to face Chekov with an intrigued look on his face. "What might that be?"

Chekov opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the bridge door opening. Spock stepped out, holding a communicator in his hand.

"Captain, we are needed on deck seventeen. Something about a cargo malfunction."

"Just a minute, Mister Spock. Chekov, here, has a question for me."

Spock told the person on the communicator that they would be there as soon as possible, then put the device away and stood with his hands clasped behind his back, waiting for the question to be asked. Chekov looked at him nervously. He had hoped that it would only be Captain Kirk who heard his request. But, what harm could Spock do?

"Keptin," the ensign said, looking at Kirk. "I would like to ask, how do you get so menny girls to...to like you?"

Spock's eyebrows went up. What kind of question was that?

Kirk let out a chuckle and shifted his weight around, slightly uncomfortable. "Kid, you're a little young..."

He stopped short, remembering what had happened earlier. Chekov still watched him expectantly.

"You know about...y'know...girls and boys, right?" Kirk asked haltingly.

"Yis, Keptin. I know about ze sex. But zat's not what I'm asking."

Kirk was taken aback at the kid's straightforwardness. "So what are you asking then?"

Spock stepped forward, interjecting. "I think Mister Chekov means he would like to help a certain woman along in developing feelings for him. Am I right?"

Chekov nodded. "Vell...I like her, and I vould like her to like me too."

Kirk couldn't help but grin at this new piece of information. "Well, who's lucky girl, man? C'mon tell me!"

He tossed a light punch at Chekov's shoulder. The ensign looked down at his feet, his face turning redder by the second.

"I vould razer not say, sir."

"Oh, come on. You can't expect me to help you out if I don't know who she is."

Chekov looked up at the Captain and first officer. Both were waiting for his answer with curious eyes. After a moment, he looked down again.

"It is ze new ensin, sir," he said just above a whisper.

"Ensign Sputnik?" Spock asked.

"Yiss."

Kirk tossed another punch at Chekov. "Nice, kid. She's a pretty little lady, isn't she?" He leaned in and put a hand to the side of his mouth. "Tell you what, you come see me tonight and I'll give you a crash course in flirting. How about it?"

Spock rolled his eyes. "Deck seventeen, Captain."

Kirk stood straight again. "Yes?" he pressed Chekov.

Chekov nodded. "Alright, Keptin. Sank you, Keptin."

Kirk smiled and turned to Spock. "Okay, cargo malfunction, you said?"


	6. Heartbreak and a Gift

"Drop out of warp, now, Mister Sulu!"

Sulu followed the command as Kirk and Spock came through the door in a blurred rush. They had stern looks on their faces and I and the rest of the crew tensed at the anxiety surrounding the Captain and first officer.

Kirk went to stand just in front of his chair. He looked around the room at the worried faces watching him.

"Guys, I have some bad news," he finally said. "There was an acid leak on deck seventeen. It consumed most of the cargo on that deck, including our supply of fuel cells." He paused, taking a deep breath. "Mister Scott believes we will run out of fuel in the next hour or so if we are in warp. We need to locate a planet with resources to replenish our supply. Mister Chekov, can you get on that?"

"Aye, sir."

Kirk turned to Uhura and me. "Uhura, Sputnik, send out hailing frequencies in all languages. Hopefully someone will hear us and respond."

"Yes, sir," Uhura and I answered in unison.

Kirk continued giving orders to the rest of the crew, but I didn't hear any of them. I was too busy listening to Uhura.

"I'll prepare the messages, you prepare the transmitter," she told me.

"Yes, Miss," I tossed in her general direction.

I flew into action. My earlier training was about to be tested for real. I hesitated, looking over the panel. It was a bit different from the simulation, so finding the right intruments in a hurry was proving to be a tiny bit difficult. I had just found the transmitter when I felt someone standing behind me.

"Is everything alright, officers?"

It was Spock. He stood between Uhura's chair and mine, watching us both.

"Everything is fine, sir," I said quickly.

I made a few adjustments to the transmitter, setting it for all frequencies, then turned to Uhura. I stopped short with my mouth open, about to speak. She was looking up at Spock with googly eyes, obviously trying to get his attention.

_Oh, you are NOT hitting on my man._

"Lieutenant," I practically declared to the universe. "The transmitter is prepped for your message."

She seemed to find it in her to tear her eyes away and turn her attention back to the task at hand.

"Message ready," she informed me after flipping a few switches.

I pressed the send button on the transmitter. "Message sent, Commander."

"Good," Spock said. "Well done, ensign."

He turned to Uhura and leaned forward, whispering something in Vulcan, and proceeded to kiss her.

I'm fairly certain my eyes and mouth were as big as Saturn at that point. Honestly, I wanted to bitch slap them both. But then it occurred to me that maybe they had already been together, prior to my arrival. That would mean that, according to maritime law, I had no claim to him.

Suddenly, the world began to suck immensely.

Uhura pulled away from Spock's kiss, grasping for her earpiece and the controls on the panel.

"Captain! I have a response!"

Kirk left what he was doing immediately and ran over to our station. "What is it, Uhura?"

She tweaked a dial while I glared at her. No one else seemed to notice, thankfully.

"It's a response to our distress call," Uhura continued. "But it's in a language I don't know and the translation matrix isn't being able to filter it."

That's when the greatest thing finally hit me. I had been in the TARDIS. Her translation matrix was installed in my brain. I should be able to understand every language we encountered out here. Why hadn't I thought of that before?

"I think it's an earth language," the lieutenant said, dialing in on the signal. She looked up at Kirk and Spock despairingly. "I'm a xenolinguist. I don't know other earth languages. There was never any need."

"It's alright, Nyota," Spock assured her.

She listened to the signal a moment longer, then looked over at me. "It might be Russian. I've heard Russian spoken before and this sounds similar."

Kirk faced the helm. "Chekov! Get over here and tell us if this is Russian!"

"Aye, sir," Chekov answered, making his way over to the growing crowd around the communications panel.

I handed him my earpiece, which was lying on the panel in front of me since I hadn't bothered to put it in my ear yet. He took it and placed it in his ear, his hand trembling the whole time.

After a moment, he looked up at Kirk.

"Zis is not my language, sir. It isn't Russian."

Chekov handed the piece back to me as Kirk and Spock exchanges worried glances.

"How are we supposed to respond to a message we can't understand?" Kirk was saying.

I placed the device in my ear, eager to hear the translation matrix make sense of this strange language. But when I finally took my first listen to the signal, it wasn't being translated for me, but I understood it. What were the odds that the one language I knew well besides English would be the one we encountered while in _space_?

"Sir," I said. "I know this language. It's French, or at least a creole of it."

Kirk's face lit up and he leaned forward. "Can you understand it?"

"Of course. It's a simple message. They say they have the raw materials to make our fuel cells on their planet. Wait..." I listened closely again. If that word was what I thought it was, I worried about Kirk's reaction. "They will help...for a price."

"Are you kidding me?!"

Kirk threw his hands up in the air and walked away from the station. Spock followed him, hands calmly clasped behind his back.

"Captain, whatever they may ask, surely it is a small price to pay compared to the safety of the Enterprise and her crew. If we run out of fuel, eventually everything will shut down as the generators have nothing to run on."

Kirk considered this thought for a moment. "Where is the signal coming from?"

Uhura checked the scanner. "A nearby planet at coordinates ."

"Sulu, plot a course for those coordinates."

"Yes, sir."

Kirk walked back over to the communications panel and waved Spock over with him. He motioned for me to stand and I did.

"I want you two to go down to the planet and make the negotiations. I'll have Mister Scott meet you in the transporter room. He'll help you find the right materials. Spock, keep your head. And Sputnik, I hope your French is good enough to pull this off."

I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat. I wasn't at all sure if I would be able to make negotiations. I had only studied for three years, not nearly long enough to handle diplomatic situations. Still, I couldn't let him down.

"I'll try my best, Captain."


	7. A Lesson in Beaming

As I followed Spock to the transporter room, I was wrapped up in my own thoughts. Half of my mind was buzzing at the proximity of his body, while the other half was worrying over how these negotiations would play out. I was trying to figure out why the translation matrix wasn't working when I remembered the last adventure I had with the Doctor. Ever since the first time I ran with him, he had promised to take me to the Louvre. So, the last time he showed up to whisk me away in the TARDIS, he kept he promise. I remembered asking him to turn the matrix off so I could test my language skills in real time. There never was a time for him to turn it back on since we had immediately found ourselves here. And now here I was with the fate of the entire Enterprise crew in my hands without any backup.

We arrived at our destination, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Where is Mister Scott?"

The ensign shrugged at Spock's query. "I'm not sure, sir."

Spock pulled out his communicator. "Mister Scott? Mister Scott, acknowledge."

"Just hold your horses, will yeh?"

A moment later, Scotty came bursting through the door, slightly breathless from the rush over. Spock stepped onto the pad, fastening a utility belt around his waist as he did so. Scotty followed suit, leaving me standing by the door, looking lost. Someone handed me a belt, told me to put it on, and edged me forward.

"Come on, Sputnik," Spock beckoned me. "We need to hurry."

I put the belt in position and buckled it to the correct tightness as I found a circle to stand on. Once I settled into my spot, Spock turned to the ensign at the panel.

"Energize."

Beaming was strange. It didn't hurt. It sort of…tickled. I felt every cell in my body tingle for a moment. Then I was standing on an alien planet.

-

As soon as Spock left the bridge, Jim turned to Chekov with eyes wide and excited.

"Come on!" he said, nodding to the door.

Chekov followed Jim outside.

"Keptin, vhere are ve going?"

"To the conference room," Jim tossed over his shoulder. "I'm giving you that course in flirting now, while she's gone."

"But Keptin, vhat if somesing goes wrong? Ve vill be needed on ze bridge."

Chekov turned to go back to his post, but Jim caught him by the back of his shirt.

"It'll be fine," the Captain said, dragging the ensign to the particular room.

Once inside, Jim practically tossed Chekov into a chair, then went to stand at the head of the table to teach the class.

"First things first; eye contact."

Jim turned his gaze to the nineteen year old two seats down, eyes serious and suggestive.

"Keptin, you're making me uncomfortable..."

Jim rolled his eyes. "That's good. That means it's getting to you. Now you need to practice that look to use on Sputnik. So go ahead, try."

Chekov felt very silly as he tried to copy Jim's facial expression, and the result was quite laughable. The Captain couldn't stop himself from grinning.

"You just look like you're sleepy, dude," he said through suppressed giggles. "Okay, try to imagine she's standing right here." He gestured to the corner of the room, and Chekov followed with his eyes. "So she's there. Now show me how you would look at her."

The ensign did as he was told. He imagined the girl of his dreams standing in the corner, smiling at him. He grinned a little bit, then quickly averted his gaze before she saw him blush.

"No, no, no, no, no." Jim got in front of the mental image. "Tell her you want her, but do it with your eyes."

"Okey, okey. Let me try agin."

Chekov stood and walked to the corner, staring down the imaginary face. With a deep breath, he pulled himself upright, trying to ignore Jim's prying gaze. He felt his face flush, but pushed the thought of it away as he looked her in the eye, face becoming serious and meaningful. He saw her look back at him, lips curled upward and her own cheeks blushing.

"Good," Jim praised, breaking the silence. "Practice that look in the mirror until you have it down. Moving on."

Chekov turned to see Jim standing by the table again and went to sit down.

"When you see her," the "teacher" continued, "make sure you're standing or sitting straight. Make yourself look confident, even if you don't feel confident. Then give her some compliments, a few on her body, but keep them focused on her personality and intelligence. Chicks love that stuff."

The ensign nodded, taking mental notes, wishing he had a pen and paper.

"Vhat sort of sings should I say?"

"Things like, 'Your hair looks nice today' or, 'I love the way you use your talents so efficiently'. Things like that, you know?"

Jim looked down at the young man to make sure he was getting all that. When he saw the lost expression on Chekov's face, he shook his head. Gripping the chair in front of him, he hung his head with a sigh.

"Look, kid. You obviously can't take in so much at one time, so let's just stick with the basics." He looked up, holding up a hand to count on. "Eye contact, confidence, and compliments. Can you remember that?"

Chekov nodded, counting off the three things on his hand as well. "Eye contact, confidence, and compliments. Yes, Keptin. I sink I got it."

Jim smiled and patted him on the back. "With that accent, you should be able to nail her in no time."

The Captain started to leave and Chekov stood, calling after him.

"Sank you, sir."

"No problem, kid. Let me know if you have any more questions."


End file.
